we're fairly lucky up here in Canada the compansation board here hits the employers with fairly high fines each time there is and injury claim so most employers would rather shut down something or buy new safety devices rather then have the extra fines and all the hassels that go with them. A fatality can put a smaller company out of business. Last I heard two lost time accidents in one year costs about $35,000 and they don't care if the lost time was only one day.
Most companies I have worked for over the past 15 years if you tell them something is not safe they look into it. The company I'm with now doesn't care if it is legally safe or not if you don't feel its safe they don't want you doing it, they'd rather send someone in that is not worried about doing it then one that is.